That’s right: a big, fat zero. Nada. Zilch. A goose egg. Naught. Zippo. What could be a more apt and powerful description for the moribund state of our economy? Neither up nor down. Dead in the water and becalmed. Not really doing anything. It’s the first time since 1945, 66 years ago, that the government reported a net job change of zero.
This result comes as no surprise to those outside the Washington Beltway who are looking desperately for jobs that don’t exist or are trying to find their way during this time of economic standstill. We’ve seen the listlessness, the lack of growth, and the lack of confidence firsthand and all around us.
Next week, President Obama will give a speech to a joint session of Congress to spell out his latest plan to jump start the economy. If another speech could help, shouldn’t it have been given long ago? If the Administration had new ideas on what to do, shouldn’t they have been proposed already? The zero reported today seems to reflect a lack of ideas and a lack of urgency as much as a lack of economic growth.
This is why I feel guilty I complain about working 24/7, at least I’m working. The jobs are gone, they’re not coming back and we allowed it to happen with no thought toward the future. If the people making the merchandise, we used to produce, can’t afford to buy it themselves and we can’t afford to buy it then who will they sell it to? The entire world is tapped out.
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I think your attitude is increasingly shared by Americans. We realize that we’ve foolishly gotten ourselves into a predicament, and there are no easy answers as to how we turn things around. Is it any wonder that measurements of consumer confidence are so low, and the approval ratings of Congress and the President are at rock-bottom levels?
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